​It is our responsibility to believe in ourselves.
 
Sometimes others see a potential in us that we struggle to see.
 
We may see ourselves through the filters of our failures, judgments, and mistakes, but others may see our strength, resilience, and determination.
 
Being surrounded by people we trust and who support our success is crucial, but being our own guide and finding our own voice is what builds courage.
 
Connecting to the trust within ourselves is what will support us though anything.
Interpretation of past experiences conditioning

Negative thoughts are not a problem unless we believe them.
 
On their own, they are powerless, unsubstantiated negative opinions and imaginations.
 
They gain their power when we give them power. When we hold onto them, collect evidence for them, entertain them, and identify with them.
 
Letting go of negative thoughts is difficult because we internalized them so early that they feel like facts, and giving them up feels like giving up the truth of who we are.
 
On the contrary, we often feel as if we need a permission to believe positive, empowering thoughts about ourselves.
 
They feel like a lie. We think we need a proof that great things about ourselves are true before we believe them.
 
But we don’t. What we allow in our mind is our responsibility. We get to decide.
 
And then when we decide, we need to keep clinging onto those intentional thoughts, entertain them, and collect evidence for them. That's how we make your mind a nice place to be.

Don’t talk yourself out of something you know is good for you. 

Don’t talk yourself out of things you decided when you felt empowered and inspired.

Don't talk yourself out of desires that lights you up and makes you feel alive.

Don't talk yourself out of your truth.

Don't talk yourself out of anything that feels aligned with your true self. 

You will be tempted to. 

When it becomes difficult, or boring, or challenging, you might notice the urge to negotiate, to give up, or give in...
You might want to convince yourself out of your long-term vision, because of temporary struggles. 

If you find yourself coming up with excuses, convincing yourself out of commitments you made to yourself, remember that your excuses will only hurt you. No matter how convincing those excuses may sound in the moment, no matter how rational they may sound, if you consistently give in, those excuses will negatively impact your life and will affect your outcomes. 

In that moment, remember your long-term goals, remember that struggles are temporary, and time will pass anyway. 

There's a quote by Carl Jung that says:

"If the path before you is clear, you're probably on someone else's."

​It's true. When we move forward in life, every new step is unknown and messy. The path in front of us is fraught with uncertainty. But if you can learn how to be grounded within yourself when you're in the midst of the unknown, you can achieve anything. 

Oftentimes, our initial, conditioned response is to be scared of the unknown. But we can choose whether we interpret uncertainty as scary or exciting. 

Unknown is not to be feared. Uncertainty is a confirmation of movement and change. It needs to be embraced and celebrated, because it shows you are honoring the invitation to keep striving forward.